Blackhawks rolling into Winter Classic against Bruins

DENVER -- The Chicago Blackhawks will take plenty of momentum into the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVAS).

The Blackhawks (15-20-6)
defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-2
in overtime on Saturday to improve to 5-1-0 in their past six games and 6-2-1 since losing eight straight games in regulation from Nov. 27-Dec. 11.
"I don't know that we've been thinking about (the Winter Classic), other than practical things," said Jeremy Colliton, who replaced Joel Quenneville as Blackhawks coach on Nov. 6. "We've done a good job of focusing on what's in front of us, but it's going to be nice going in there with some positive energy."
\[RELATED: Complete NHL Winter Classic coverage\]
Forward Patrick Kane, who scored the overtime goal against Colorado, has been on a tear and is looking forward to playing on a rink laid on top of the iconic Notre Dame football field.
"For sure it's going to be a fun couple of days," said Kane, who has seven goals and six assists during a seven-game point streak. He leads the Blackhawks in goals (22), assists (28) and points (50) in 40 games.
The Blackhawks were to stay overnight in Denver before heading to South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday on practicing on the outdoor rink on Monday.

"We're flying there and will be spending some of our time with family," Kane said. "Getting there and practicing and seeing what it's all about … especially at Notre Dame, where there's so much history. It'll be a fun few days down there."
The Blackhawks are playing with confidence again, and a win against the Bruins would be another small step in their uphill quest to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have 36 points, seven behind the Dallas Stars, who hold the second wild card from the Western Conference.
"We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we know there's another level we can get to," Kane said. "We know the recipe for success in here and what we need to do to win hockey games. It's nice to know that and what we have to bring.
"Now it's just taking it game by game and seeing if we can get on a run or string a few wins together and see if we can get back into the playoffs. But that's a long road ahead."